Uncovering You 8: Redemption by Scarlett Edwards Read Free Book Online

he obviously sided with her. But he does not have the leverage over me to actually pull me here. Fey does. And she did.
    It’s her opinion that matters. She’s the one I need to convince, unequivocally, that I am safe with Jeremy. All her fears need to be laid to rest. There cannot be any lingering doubts that would leave her in a position to do something as rash, as unexpected, as showing up in California looking for me.
    I also want to know more about the things Robin found about Stonehart Industries. He alluded to shady dealings. However, he never said, straight out, what they were. It might seem irrelevant. But it’s not. Stonehart Industries is an extension of Jeremy. It’s not like a CEO running GM, with no emotional attachment. The things Stonehart Industries does are a direct reflection of the man Jeremy Stonehart is. If I can further my understanding of him…well, it would mean that this trip was not entirely wasted.
    I’m in and out of the shower in a few minutes. Then I go to my room, leave a “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door, do the same to Fey’s and Robin’s, and make the beds. Mindless chores like that give me something to do while I wait for whatever comes next.
    After the rooms are clean, I drink the coffee and have my cold breakfast. I wait for Robin and Fey to come back. I’m itching to do something, to go somewhere, but I don’t want them to come back to two empty rooms and freak out.
    My cell phone? I haven’t touched it since receiving Jeremy’s last text. I don’t know if I ever will again. Not until Jeremy swears that he will no longer monitor my calls.
    So, with nothing better to do, for the first time in ages, I turn the TV on.
    My brief exploration of talk shows and sitcoms is interrupted, however, when I hear a knock at the door.
    I tense. I made sure to put those signs on both doors. Robin and Fey have their own keycard. They wouldn’t knock. They would just enter their own room.
    Who could it be?
    The knock comes again. It’s not urgent. It’s more…persistent.
    I get up. Surely I’m allowed to entertain visitors now, as a free woman. But living so long bound by Jeremy’s rules has made me naturally apprehensive about unexpected situations.
    The knocking continues, grating on my nerves with its insistence. I get up and walk to the door
    I stop in front of it and peer through the eyehole.
    It’s Hugh.
    Shit!
    I spin around and press my back into the door. Hugh.
    What’s he doing here? Jeremy’s father! Why did he come?
    He knocks once more. Each thud runs through my body.
    Okay .
    I take a deep breath. I need to deal with Hugh before Fey and Robin get back. No matter how unwelcome the intrusion might be, I don’t want the introduction of Hugh to complicate things even further.
    I slide the short security chain into place so the door will not fully open. Then I unlock the door and peek through the crack.
    “Lilly!” Hugh smiles up at me. It’s odd—jarring—to think that a man so short produced a son as tall as Jeremy. But there’s a slyness to him. An undercurrent of danger that I would be
    “What are you doing here?” I hiss. “I did not invite you!”
    “I’m sorry,” he says. “Where are my manners? For that matter,” a peculiar smile crosses his face, “where are yours? It seems my son still has lessons to teach you in proper etiquette.”
    I start to close the door. There is no reason I have to stand here and take this type of shit.
    He puts his foot in the gap, stopping my effort. “I’m sorry,” he says again, quickly. “That was rude. Mr. Stonehart will not be happy if word of what I just said reaches his ears.” He peers up at me, and I see something new—a challenge?—reflected in his eyes.
    “Why do you call him that?” I ask. “He’s your son, isn’t he?”
    “Biologically…yes,” Hugh agrees. “In reality, though, things are more complicated. May I come in?”
    “Why?” I ask. “What do you want?”
    He reaches into his coat